Business accelerator Connect recognizes 10 local companies

What makes a new product innovative? According to innovation company accelerator Connect, groundbreaking products reflect the intellect and drive that elevate San Diego’s innovation ecosystem. On Nov. 30, Connect shined a spotlight on 10 during the 30th annual Most Innovative New Product Awards.

“The Most Innovative New Product Awards event is San Diego’s most exciting night in innovation because it provides a peek into the future of the next big thing,” said CEO Greg McKee. “Connect is proud to highlight all our finalist and winner companies. We know they will go on, as many MIP winners before them have, to do great things.”

The fierce competition began this spring. The products, which were required to have been introduced no earlier than Jan. 1, 2015, were narrowed down to 33 finalists who pitched their products to a panel of experts. The field was then slashed again to winners in 10 categories.

Among them are a device derived from stem cells that allows medications to be tested for heart toxicity, technology that gives robots the ability to perceive their environment, and a cellular signal booster that gets rid of dead zones.

“At Connect, we believe San Diego entrepreneurs are disrupting the world,” McKee said.

During the award ceremony at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine, Illumina’s Executive Chairman Jay Flatley was inducted into Connect’s Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. Also honored were Dick Atkinson, president emeritus of the University of California and professor emeritus of cognitive science and psychology at UC San Diego; Illumina cofounder Larry Bock; former President of The Scripps Research Institute and professor of cell and molecular biology Dr. Richard Lerner; and Joe Markee, managing director at Express Ventures.

The winners in each product category are…

Cleantech, Sustainability, and Energy:

Amionx’s SafeCore, which prevents a lithium-ion battery from being the source of fire or an explosion.